Ruminations on Thanksgiving

For years I have put out a Thanksgiving message – usually in time for Thanksgiving Day. But as you now witness, this one is a bit late.

I’ve also always been a little wry about monotonic celebrations; Women’s Day,Earth Day, Ocean Day – because while these passing days do punctuate something we need to honor, my hope is that the associated events are just reminders that Women, the Earth, and the Ocean are always with us to love, honor, and cherish – and particularly express gratitude for our relationships with them.

This is why, for me, giving thanks is really the foundation of all we do. So while we gather around tables across the nation to express our gratitude, and remember how to do it with iconic dishes, for me it is the gathering; the prayer over food, and the humility of being surrounded by an embarrassment of priceless gifts. The air we breathe. The water drink. The fruits of the Earth. The people who show up. And the mutual interdependence of our relationships with all of these gifts.

I’m late in delivering our Thanksgiving message because we’ve been provided with amazing opportunities that have taken up our bandwidth. We did the turkey and the mash potatoes; the string beans, the yams, and the pecan pie; and a lot of us are still eating leftovers. And for me, I have the opportunity to reify these blessings again – just a few days late.